The President of India is the formal Head of State, head of the executive and legislature of India and is the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces.

The President is indirectly elected by the people through elected members of both the houses of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of New Delhi and Puducherry and serves for a renewable term of five years. The oath of the President is administered by the Chief Justice of India, and in his/her absence, by the most senior judge of the Supreme Court.

Although Article 53 of the Constitution of India states that the President can exercise his powers directly or by subordinate authority,with few exceptions, all of the executive authority vested in the President are, in practice, exercised by the Prime Ministerwith the help of the Council of Ministers.

The President of India resides in an estate in New Delhi known as the Rashtrapati Bhavan (which roughly translates as President’s House). The presidential retreat is The Retreat in Chharabra, Shimla and Rashtrapati Nilayam (President’s Place) in Hyderabad.

The 13th and current President is Pranab Mukherjee, who was elected on 22 July 2012, and sworn in on 25 July 2012. He is also the first Bengali to be elected as President.[6]

Republic of India

Contents

1Origin

2Powers and duties

1Duties

2Legislative powers

3Executive powers

4Appointment powers

5Financial powers

6Judicial powers

7Diplomatic powers

8Military powers

9Pardoning Powers

10Emergency powers

10.1National emergency

10.2State emergency

10.3Financial emergency

3Selection process

1Eligibility

2Conditions for the Presidency

3Election process

4Oath or affirmation

4Emoluments

5Removal

6Succession

7Important presidential interventions in the past

1Proving majority in the parliament

2Proof of Majority to form a Government

3Pocket veto of the Postal Bill

4Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqués

5Offices of Profit Bill

8List of Presidents of India

Origin

India achieved independence from the British on 15 August 1947, initially as a Dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations with George VIas king, represented in the country by a governor-general.[ Still, following this, the Constituent Assembly of India, under the leadership of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, undertook the process of drafting a completely new constitution for the country. The Constitution of India was eventually enacted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950, making India a republic. The offices of monarch and governor-general were replaced by the new office of President of India, with Rajendra Prasad as the first incumbent.

The constitution of the Republic of India (Articles 53,79 & 111) gave the President the responsibility and authority to defend and protect the constitution of India and its rule of law. Invariably, any action taken by the executive or legislature entities of the constitution shall become law only after President’s assent. The president shall not accept any actions of the executive or legislature which are unconstitutional. The president is the foremost, most empowered and prompt defender of the constitution (article 60), who has preemptive power for ensuring constitutionality in the actions of the executive or legislature. The role of the judiciary in upholding the constitution of India is the second line of defense in nullifying any unconstitutional actions of the executive and legislative entities of the Indian Union.

Powers and duties

Duties

The primary duty of the President is to preserve, protect and defend the constitution and the law of India as made part of his oath (Article 60 of Indian constitution). The President is the common head of all independent constitutional entities. All his actions, recommendations (Article 3, Article 111, etc.) and supervisory powers (Article 78 c, Article 108, Article 111, etc.) over the executive and legislative entities of India shall be used in accordance to uphold the constitution. There is no bar on the actions of the President to contest in the court of law.

Legislative powers

Legislative power is constitutionally vested by the Parliament of India of which the president is the head, to facilitate the law making process as per the constitution (Article 78, Article 86, etc.). The President summons both the Houses (the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha) of the Parliament and prorogues them. He can dissolve the Lok Sabha.[8]:147 As per Article 74, the President shall abide by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, provided the given advice is in accordance with the constitution. Article 143 gave power to the president to consult the Supreme Court about the constitutional validity of any issue.

The President inaugurates Parliament by addressing it after the general elections and also at the beginning of the first session each year; this is mentioned in Article 87(1). The Presidential address on these occasions is generally meant to outline the new policies of the government.

All bills passed by the Parliament can become laws only after receiving the assent of the President. After a bill is presented to him, the President shall declare either that he assents to the Bill, or that he withholds his assent from it. As a third option, he can return a bill to Parliament, if it is not a money bill or a constitutional amendment bill, for reconsideration. When, after reconsideration, the bill is passed and presented to the President, with or without amendments, the President cannot withhold his assent from it. The President can also withhold his assent to a bill when it is initially presented to him (rather than return it to Parliament) thereby exercising a pocket veto.

When either of the two Houses of the Parliament of India is not in session, and if the government feels the need for an immediate procedure, the President can promulgate ordinances which have the same force and effect as laws passed by Parliament. These are in the nature of interim or temporary legislation and their continuance is subject to parliamentary approval. Ordinances remain valid for no more than six weeks from the date the Parliament is convened unless approved by it earlier. Under article 123, President as the upholder of the constitution shall be satisfied that immediate action is mandatory as advised by the central cabinet and he is confident that the government commands majority support in the Parliament needed for the passing of the ordinance into an act and Parliament can be summoned to deliberate on the passing of the ordinance as soon as possible. The promulgated ordinance is treated as an act of Parliament when in force and it is the responsibility of the President to withdraw the ordinance as soon as the reasons for promulgation of the ordinance are no longer applicable. Bringing laws in the form of ordinances has become a routine matter by the government and President, but the provisions made in Article 123 are meant for mitigating unusual circumstances where immediate action is inevitable when the extant constitutional provisions are inadequate. The President should take moral responsibility when an ordinance elapses automatically or is not approved by the Parliament. The President is liable for prosecution for his wrong deeds.

Executive powers

As per Article 53, the executive power of the country is vested in the President and is exercised by President either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution. Union cabinet with Prime Minister as its head, should aid and advice the President in performing his functions. As per Article 74 (2), the council of ministers or Prime Minister are not accountable legally to the advise tendered to the President but it is the sole responsibility of the President to ensure compliance with the constitution in performing his duties.

Appointment powers

The President appoints, as Prime Minister, the person most likely to command the support of the majority in the Lok Sabha (usually the leader of the majority party or coalition). The President then appoints the other members of the Council of Ministers, distributing portfolios to them on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Council of Ministers remains in power at the ‘pleasure’ of the President.

The President appoints 12 members of the Rajya Sabha from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service.

The President is responsible for making a wide variety of appointments. These include:

Governorsof States

TheChief Justice, other judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts of India

TheChief Minister of the National capital territory of Delhi (Article 239 AA 5 of the constitution)

TheAttorney General

TheComptroller and Auditor General

TheChief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners

The Chairman and other Members of theUnion Public Service Commission

Vice Chancellor of the central university and academic staff of the central university through his nominee

Ambassadorsand High Commissioners to other countries (only through the list of names given by the Prime Minister).

Financial powers

A money bill can be introduced in the Parliament only with the President’s recommendation.

The President lays the Annual Financial Statement, i.e. the Union budget, before the Parliament.

The President can take advances out of the Contingency Fund of India to meet unforeseen expenses.

The President constitutes a Finance commission after every five years to recommend the distribution of the taxes between the centre and the States.

Judicial powers

The President appoints the Chief Justice of the Union Judiciary and other judges on the advice of the Chief Justice. He dismisses the judges if and only if the two Houses of the Parliament pass resolutions to that effect by a two-thirds majority of the members present.

According to Article 143 of Indian Constitution, if the President considers a question of law or a matter of public importance has arisen, he can ask for the advisory opinion of theSupreme Court.

Diplomatic powers

All international treaties and agreements are negotiated and concluded on behalf of the President. However, in practice, such negotiations are usually carried out by the Prime Minister along with his Cabinet (especially the Foreign Minister). Also, such treaties are subject to the approval of the Parliament. The President represents India in international forums and affairs where such a function is chiefly ceremonial. The President may also send and receive diplomats, i.e. the officers from the Indian Foreign Service. The President is the first citizen of the country.[17]

Military powers

The President is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. The President can declare war or conclude peace, on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. All important treaties and contracts are made in the President’s name. He also appoints the chiefs of the service branches of the armed forces.

Pardoning Powers

See also:Presidential pardon

As mentioned in Article 72 of the Indian Constitution, the President is empowered with the powers to grant pardons in the following situations:

Punishment is for an offence against Union Law

Punishment is by aMilitary Court

Sentence is that of death[

The decisions involving pardoning and other rights by the President are independent of the opinion of the Prime Minister or the Lok Sabha majority. In most cases, however, the President exercises his executive powers on the advice of the Prime Minister and the cabinet

Emergency powers

The President can declare three types of emergencies: national, state and financial, under articles 352, 356 & 360 in addition to promulgating ordinances under article 123.

National emergency

See also:The Emergency (India)

A national emergency can be declared in the whole of India or a part of its territory for causes of war or armed rebellion or an external aggression. Such an emergency was declared in India in 1962 (Indo-China war), 1971 (Indo-Pakistan war), and 1975 to 1977 (declared by Indira Gandhi.

Under Article 352 of the India Constitution, the President can declare such an emergency only on the basis of a written request by the Cabinet Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. Such a proclamation must be approved by the Parliament within one month. Such an emergency can be imposed for six months. It can be extended by six months by repeated parliamentary approval-there is no maximum duration.

In such an emergency, Fundamental Rights of Indian citizens can be suspended. The six freedoms under Right to Freedom are automatically suspended. However, the Right to Life and Personal Liberty cannot be suspended.(Article 21)

The President can make laws on the 66 subjects of the State List (which contains subjects on which the state governments can make laws). Also, all money bills are referred to the President for approval. The term of the Lok Sabha can be extended by a period of up to one year, but not so as to extend the term of Parliament beyond six months after the end of the declared emergency.

National Emergency has only been proclaimed in India twice till date. It was declared first in 1962 by President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, during the Sino-Indian War. The second emergency in India was from 1975-77 proclaimed by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, with Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister.

State emergency

If the President is fully satisfied, on the basis of the report of the Governor of the concerned state or from other sources that the governance in a state cannot be carried out according to the provisions in the Constitution, he can proclaim under Article 356 a state of emergency in the state. Such an emergency must be approved by the Parliamentwithin a period of 2 months.

Under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution, it can be imposed from six months to a maximum period of three years with repeated parliamentary approval every six months. If the emergency needs to be extended for more than three years, this can be achieved by a constitutional amendment, as has happened in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

During such an emergency, the President can take over the entire work of the executive, and the Governor administers the state in the name of the President. The Legislative Assembly can be dissolved or may remain in suspended animation. The Parliament makes laws on the 66 subjects of the state list (see National emergency for explanation).

A State Emergency can be imposed via the following:

ByArticle 356– If that state failed to run constitutionally, i.e. constitutional machinery has failed

By Article 365 – If that state is not working according to the direction of the Union Government issued as per the provisions of the constitution

This type of emergency needs the approval of the parliament within 2 months. It can last up to a maximum of three years via extensions after each 6-month period. However, after one year it can be extended only if

A state of National Emergency has been declared in the country or in the particular state.

The Election Commission finds it difficult to organise an election in that state.

The Sarkaria Commission held that presidents have unconstitutionally misused the provision of Article 356 many times for achieving political motives, by dismissing the state governments although there was no constitutional break down in the states. During 2005, President’s rule was imposed in Bihar state, misusing Article 356 unconstitutionally to prevent the democratically elected state legislators to form a government after the state elections.

There is no provision in the constitution to re-promulgate president’s rule in a state when the earlier promulgation ceased to operate for want of parliaments approval within two months duration. During 2014 in Andhra Pradesh, president’s rule was first imposed on March 1, 2014 and it ceased to operate on April 30, 2014. President’s rule was promulgated after being fully aware that the earliest parliament session is feasible in the end of May, 2014 after the general elections. It was reimposed again unconstitutionally on April 28, 2014 by the president.

Financial emergency

Article 282 accords financial autonomy in spending the financial resources available with the states for public purpose.

Under article 360 of the constitution, President can proclaim a financial emergency when the financial stability or credit of the nation or of any part of its territory is threatened. However, until now no guidelines defining the situation of financial emergency in the entire country or a state or a union territory or a panchayat or a municipality or a corporation have been framed either by the finance commission or by the central government.

Such an emergency must be approved by the Parliament within two months by simple majority. It has never been declared. A state of financial emergency remains in force indefinitely until revoked by the President.

The President can reduce the salaries of all government officials, including judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, in cases of a financial emergency. All money bills passed by the State legislatures are submitted to the President for approval. He can direct the state to observe certain principles (economy measures) relating to financial matters.

Selection process

Eligibility

Article 58 of the Constitution sets the principle qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of the President. A President must be:

Acitizen of India

Of 35 years of age or above

Qualified to become a member of theLok Sabha

A person shall not be eligible for election as President if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments.

Certain office-holders, however, are permitted to stand as Presidential candidates. These are:

The currentVice President.

The Governor of any State.

A Minister of the Union or of any State (IncludingPrime Minister and Chief Ministers).

In the event that the Vice President, a State Governor or a Minister is elected President, they are considered to have vacated their previous office on the date they begin serving as President.

Under The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, a candidate to be nominated for the office of president needs 50 electors as proposers and 50 electors as seconders for his name to appear on ballot.

Conditions for the Presidency

Main article:Electoral College (India)

Certain conditions, as per Article 59 of the Constitution, debar an otherwise eligible citizen from contesting the presidential elections. The conditions are:

The President shall not be a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of the Legislature of any State, and if a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of the Legislature of any State be elected President, he shall be deemed to have vacated his seat in that House on the date on which he enters upon his office as President.

The President shall not hold any other office of profit.

The President shall be entitled without payment of rent to the use of his official residences and shall be also entitled to such emoluments, allowances and privileges as may be determined by Parliament by law and until provision in that behalf is so made, such emoluments, allowances and privileges as are specified in the Second Schedule.

The emoluments and allowances of the President shall not be diminished during his term of office.

Election process

Whenever the office becomes vacant, the new President is chosen by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of Parliament (M.P.s), the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies (Vidhan Sabha) of all States and the elected members of the legislative assemblies (M.L.A.s) of two Union Territories (i.e., National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry).

The nomination of a candidate for election to the office of the President must be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 electors as seconders. Each candidate has to make a security deposit of ₹15,000 (US$220) in the Reserve Bank of India. The security deposit is liable to be forfeited in case the candidate fails to secure one-sixth of the votes polled.

The election is held in accordance to the system of Proportional representation by means of the Single transferable vote method. The voting takes place by secret ballot system. The manner of election of President is provided by Article 55 of the Constitution.

Each elector casts a different number of votes. The general principle is that the total number of votes cast by Members of Parliament equals the total number of votes cast by State Legislators. Also, legislators from larger states cast more votes than those from smaller states. Finally, the number of legislators in a state matters; if a state has few legislators, then each legislator has more votes; if a state has many legislators, then each legislator has fewer votes.

The actual calculation for votes cast by a particular state is calculated by dividing the state’s population by 1000, which is divided again by the number of legislators from the State voting in the electoral college. This number is the number of votes per legislator in a given state. Every elected member of the parliament enjoys the same number of votes, which may be obtained by dividing the total number of votes assigned to the members of legislative assemblies by the total number of elected representatives of the parliament.

Although Indian presidential elections involve actual voting by MPs and MLAs, they tend to vote for the candidate supported by their respective parties.

Oath or affirmation

The President is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the Chief Justice of India (or in his absence, the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court), an oath or affirmation that he/she shall protect, preserve and defend the Constitution as follows:

I, (name), do swear in the name of God (or solemnly affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President (or discharge the functions of the President) of the Republic of India, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law, and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of India.

— Article 60, Constitution of India

Emoluments

President pay

Date established

Salary in 1998

Salary in 2008

30 December 2008

₹50,000 (US$740)

₹1.5 lakh (US$2,200)

Sources:

The President of India used to receive ₹10,000 (US$100) per month as per the Second Schedule of the Constitution. This amount was increased to ₹50,000 (US$700) in 1998. On 11 September 2008 the Government of India increased the salary of the President to ₹1.5 lakh (US$2,200). However, almost everything that the President does or wants to do is taken care of by the annual ₹225 million (US$3.3 million) budget that the Government allots for his or her upkeep. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President’s official residence, is the largest Presidential Palace in the world. The Rashtrapati Nilayam at Bolarum, Hyderabad and Retreat Building at Chharabra, Shimla are the official Retreat Residences of the President of India. The official state car of the President is a custom-built heavily armoured Mercedes Benz S600 (W221) Pullman Guard.

Presidential Amenities

Rashtrapati Bhavan, official residence of the President, located at New Delhi.

Rashtrapati Nilayam is the official retreat of the President located in Hyderabad.

The President’s Bodyguards is an elite household cavalry regiment of theIndian Army.

Air India One is the call sign of any aircraft carrying the President. The aircraft are operated as VIP flights by the Indian Air Force.

Removal

The President may be removed before the expiry of the term through impeachment. A President can be removed for violation of the Constitution of India; The process may start in either of the two houses of the Parliament. The house initiates the process by levelling the charges against the President. The charges are contained in a notice that has to be signed by at least one quarter of the total members of that house. The notice is sent up to the President and 14 days later, it is taken up for consideration.

A resolution to impeach the President has to be passed by a two-third majority of the total number of members of the originating house. It is then sent to the other house. The other house investigates the charges that have been made. During this process, the President has the right to defend oneself through an authorised counsel. If the second house also approves the charges made by special majority again, the President stands impeached and is deemed to have vacated his/her office from the date when such a resolution stands passed. No president has faced impeachment proceedings so the above provisions have never been used.

Supreme Court can remove the president for the electoral malpractices under Article 71(1) of the constitution. Under Article 361 of the constitution, though president can not be summoned for questioning except on his voluntary willingness to testify in the court in support of his controversial deeds, the unconstitutional decisions taken by the president would be declared invalid by the courts. The case would be decided by the courts based on the facts furnished by the union government for the president’s role. As clarified by the Supreme Court in the case ‘Rameshwar Prasad & Ors vs Union Of India & Anr on 24 January 2006’, though president can not be prosecuted and imprisoned during his term of office, he can be prosecuted after his term of office for the guilty committed during his term of presidency as declared earlier by the courts. No president has resigned on impropriety to continue in office for declaring and nullifying his unconstitutional decisions by the courts till now. No criminal case at least on the grounds of disrespecting constitution is lodged till now against former presidents to punish them for their unconstitutional acts though many decisions taken during the term of presidency had been declared by Supreme Court as unconstitutional, mala fides, void, ultra vires, etc.

Succession

The Office of the President falls vacant in the following scenarios:

On the expiry of his/her term

By reason of death

By reason of resignation

Removal by impeachment

Article 65 of the Indian Constitution says that the Vice President of India will have to discharge the duties, if the Office falls vacant due to any reason other than expiry of the term. The Vice President reverts to office when a new President is elected and enters office. When the President is unable to act because of absence, illness or any other cause, the Vice President discharges the President’s functions until the President resumes the duties.

A Vice President who acts as or discharges the functions of the President has all the powers and immunities of the President and is entitled to the same emoluments as the President. It should be noted here that when the Vice President discharges the duties of the President, he/she does not function as the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

The Indian Parliament has enacted the law (The President (Discharge of Functions) Act, 1969) for the discharge of the functions of the President when vacancies occur in the offices of the President and of the Vice President simultaneously, owing to removal, death, resignation of the incumbent or otherwise. In such an eventuality, the Chief Justice, or in his absence, the senior most Judge of the Supreme Court of India available discharges the functions of the President until a newly elected President enters upon his office or a newly elected Vice President begins to act as President under Article 65 of the Constitution, whichever is the earlier. For example, in 1969, when President Zakir Husain died in Office, Vice President V. V. Giri served as the acting President of India. However, later, V.V Giri resigned from both posts (Acting President of India and Vice President of India) as he became a candidate in the 1969 Presidential election in India. In this event, the then Chief Justice of India, Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah served as the acting President of India until the next President was elected.

Important presidential interventions in the past

The President’s role as defender of the Constitution and the powers as Head of State, especially in relation to those exercised by the Prime Minister as leader of the government, have changed over time. In particular, Presidents have made a number of interventions into government and lawmaking, which have established and challenged some conventions concerning Presidential intervention.

Proving majority in the parliament

Main article:Vote of confidence

In 1979, the Prime Minister, Charan Singh, did not enjoy a Parliamentary majority. He responded to this by simply not advising the President to summon Parliament. Since then, Presidents have been more diligent in directing incoming Prime Ministers to convene Parliament and prove their majority within reasonable deadlines (2 to 3 weeks). In the interim period, the Prime Ministers are generally restrained from making policy decisions.

Proof of Majority to form a Government

Since the 1990s, Parliamentary elections have generally not resulted in a single party or group of parties having a distinct majority, until the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when BJP received a clear majority. In such cases, Presidents have used their discretion and directed Prime Ministerial aspirants to establish their credentials before being invited to form the government. Typically, the aspirants have been asked to produce letters from various party leaders, with the signatures of all the MPs who are pledging support to their candidature. This is in addition to the requirement that a Prime Minister prove he has the support of the Lok Sabha (by a vote on the floor of the House) within weeks of being sworn into office.

Pocket veto of the Postal Bill[edit]

See also:Pocket vetoandZail Singh

Since the Indian Constitution does not provide any time limit within which the President is to declare his assent or refusal, the President could exercise a “pocket veto” by not taking any action for an indefinite time. The veto was used in 1986 by the then President Zail Singh over the Postal Bill. The President did not give assent to the bill, arguing that its scope was too sweeping and would give the government arbitrary powers to intercept postal communications indiscriminately.

Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqués[edit]

In the late 1990s, President K. R. Narayanan introduced explaining to the nation (by means of Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqués), the thinking that led to the various decisions he took while exercising his discretionary powers; this has led to openness and transparency in the functioning of the President

Offices of Profit Bill

The constitution gives the President the power to return a bill unsigned but it circumscribes the power to send it back only once for reconsideration. If the Parliament sends back the bill with or without changes, the President is obliged to sign it. In mid-2006, President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam sent back a controversial bill regarding the exclusion of certain offices from the scope of ‘offices of profit’, the holding of which would disqualify a person from being a member of parliament. The combined opposition, the NDA, hailed the move. The UPA chose to send the bill back to the president without any changes and, after 17 days, Kalam gave his assent on 18 August 2006.